Pneumatically operated press plunger

ABSTRACT

A PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED PRESS PLUNGER FOR GLASSWARE FORMING MACHINES HAVING AN AIR OPERATED CLAMPING RING FOR CONE-SOCKET COOPERATION, ALONG WITH A PARISON MOLD, IN CLAMPING THE TWO HALVES OF A SPLIT NECK RING TOGETHER DURING A PARISON PRESSING OPERATION. THE PRESS PLUNGER ALSO HAS AN AIR OPERATED PLUNGER HOLDER TO INSURE THE PLUNGER BEING HELD IN OPERATIVE POSITION YET PERMIT READY CHANGE OF PLUNGERS TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WARE.

March 30, 1971 HAMlLTON I 3,573,025

PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED PRESS PLUNGER 'Filed July 29. 1968 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVliN'IOR. dOSEPH R. HAMILTON A TTORNE Y5 March 30, 1971 J. R. HAMILTON 3,573,025

PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED PRESS PLUNGER Filed July 29 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet .2

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JOSEPH R. HAM/LTO/V 35% W A TTORNEYS March 30, 1971 J. R. HAMILTON PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED PRESS PLUNGER Filed July 29. 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVUN'I'UR. (JOSEPH R. HAM/L TON BY 777M AT T OR/VE Y5 3,573,025 PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED PRESS PLUNGER Joseph R. Hamilton, Anderson, Ind., assignor to Lynch Corporation, Anderson, Ind. Filed July 29, 1968, Ser. No. 748,259 Int. Cl. C0311 11/10, 11/12 US. Cl. 65-172 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various plunger holding arrangements have been heretofore provided with locking means for the plungers relative to the press rod which supports them. There have also been various types of clamping means designed to clamp the two halves of a split neck ring together during the parison pressing operation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention contemplates the provision of a pneumatically operated plunger holder in the form of a holder unit supported by a press rod and which in turn supports the press plunger for parison molding operations. The press plunger is provided with a bayonet type connection to a floating piston in the unit which, when there is no air applied to the piston, permits connection and disconnection of the plunger with respect to the unit, but upon application of compressed air to the cylinder of the unit acts to look the bayonet joint against dislocation during parison pressing operations. Separate clamping means for the two halves of a split neck ring during the pressing operation are eliminated by a conesocket type of cooperation of a clamp ring of the unit and of the parison mold with the split neck ring to cause the clamping action by means of air pressure prior to the press plunger assuming its final position in the parison mold and to also maintain such clamping action during the pressing operation.

One object of the invention is to provide a design of pneumatically operated press plunger in which a cylinder is supported by a press rod and in turn supports a press plunger, the rod and the plunger being connected together by means of a piston in the cylinder which has a bayonet type connection with the press plunger and which is normally operable to permit connection and disconnection, but upon the introduction of fiuid under pressure into the cylinder will have the effect of the piston locking the bayonet lugs against subsequent rotation during operation of the glassware forming machine.

Another object is to provide a clamp ring for the split neck ring of the glassware forming machine which also has a piston in the cylinder and is eifective to operate United States Patent 01 ice 3,573,Z5 Patented Mar. 30, 1971 a clamp ring for the upper end of the split neck ring in such manner that clamping is effected prior to full entry of the press plunger into the parison mold during the parison forming operation.

A further object is to provide a hollow press plungen with cooling means in the form of an inner conduit having perforations discharging against the interior of the plunger and flowing out through vents at the top of the plunger and finally through vents in the clamp ring.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my pneumatically operated press plunger, whereby the objects above contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a pneumatically operated press plunger embodying my invention and shows an associated parison mold, the two being separated or in an initial position before a gob of glass is introduced into the mold preceding the pressing operation.

FIG. 2 is a similar sectional view showing the plunger partially entered into the parison mold as when pressing a gob of glass therein, such gob being omitted however.

FIG. 3 is a similar sectional view showing the plunger fully entered into the parison rnold.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

'FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a parison mold, 12 a split neok ring and 14 a guide ring, all three being associated with each other in the manner disclosed in FIG. 1 and the neck ring being supported by neck ring holder arms 19 as disclosed in Yonkers Pat. No. 2,874,516 and Hamilton Pat. No. 3,060,707.

A press plunger 16 and its extension 18 form a quickly interchangeable plunger unit to be supported by a press rod 22 having a flange '24 secured to a head 20 formed on a secondary cylinder 35 which has mounted thereon below the cylinder 35, a primary cylinder 26. A primary piston 28 is slidable in the primary cylinder 26 and a secondary piston 34 is slidable in the secondary cylinder 35, suitable O-ring seals being provided to avoid air leakage. The piston 34 is formed on the upper end of a tubular press plunger holder 32 having an annular lugreceiving groove 33 to receive lugs 17 formed on the press plunger extension 18, the arrangement being somewhat similar to a bayonet joint but which can be locked by the upper end of the extension 1 8 engaging the head 20 as shown and the pressure plunger holder 32 and thereby the annular groove 33 being biased upwardly. Accordingly a pair of bayonet flanges 37 which form the bottom of the groove 33 are drawn against the lower surfaces of the lugs 17 by the introduction of a constant supply of air under pressure to an inlet 38 which pressure fills the cylinders 26 and 35 above the piston 28 and below the piston 34 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The flanges 37 are interrupted by bayonet notches 39 to receive the lugs 17. In FIG. 6 the lugs 17 are shown dotted in an initial insertion position to pass through the notches 39, and they are then rotated to the full line position.

For all practical purposes the cylinders 26 and 35 may be considered a single cylinder charged with air under pressure from the inlet 38 and operable to bias the pressure plunger holder 32 upwardly and the clamp ring 42 downwardly with respect to such cylinder and thereby with respect to the press rod 22 which supports the plunger assembly (designated PA in FIG. 1). The cylinder 35 is provided with a vent 41 and the cylinder 26 with a vent 43 shown in FIG. 1 to avoid trapp d air during operation.

My disclosed structure further includes a sleeve 30 extending downwardly from the primary piston 28 and terminating in a clamping ring 42 having a cone socket 4 4. The split neck ring 12 has lower cone surfaces 13 fitting a cone socket 15 of the parison mold 10, and upper cone surfaces 11 with which the cone socket '44 of the clamping ring 42 is adapted to engage as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The split neck ring is thus clamped closed by the cone surfaces 11, 44 and 13, 15 without the necessity of providing clamp mechanism independent of the mold and the plunger assembly PA such as clamps 21 shown by dash lines in FIG. 2 and which would have to have supporting and actuating mechanism also.

In FIG. 1, I illustrate how the press plunger holder 32 and its piston 34 in a normal position as might be assumed due to gravity or having been pulled down to its limit of movement (the piston 34 against the upper end of the cylinder 26) because of having removed a previous plunger 16 and its extension 18. At this time there is no pressure in the cylinders 26 and 35 between the pistons 28 and 34 (no fluid pressure being applied to the inlet 38). It is now evident that when fluid pressure is applied, or air under pressure is supplied to the inlet 38, it will raise the piston 34 as to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, thus locking the bayonet flanges 37 against the lower surfaces of the press plunger lugs 17 to lock the plunger against rotation and thereby retain it in an operative position. The plunger may be subsequently removed by rotating the lugs 17 from the full line position shown in FIG. 6 to the dotted line position where they are in alignment with the bayonet notches 39 of the flanges 37 for removal and replacement of the plunger sub-assembly 16, 18.

Another feature of my invention is a cooling sleeve 40 within the hollow plunger 16 having air discharge perforations 46 as shown in FIG. 3. These perforations are in communication with cooling air inlets 36 into which cooling air is discharged in timed relation to the cvcles of operation of the glassware forming machine in the usual manner. The air from the perforations 4e discharges against the interior of the hollow press plunger 16 and absorbs heat therefrom, then passes upwardly between the cooling sleeve and the plunger to discharge through vents 48 to atmosphere inside the sleeve 30. When the parts are in the position of FIGS. 2 and 3, such air escapes through additional vents 55) formed in the clamp ring 42.

During a press forming operation, the plunger 16 is initially elevated as shown in FIG. 1 and offset relative to the parison mold 10 to permit gravity introduction of a gob of glass thereinto. The plunger is then moved into alignment with the mold and thereafter moved downwardly. Upon reaching the FIG. 2 position, the cone socket 44 of the clamp ring 42 engages the upper cone surfaces 11 of the split neck ring 12 and thereafter further downward movement of the press rod 22 to the position of FIG. 3 is possible but the clamp ring of course cannot sure of the air in the cylinder 26 above the piston 28 in the manner of an air spring which maintains the clamping action While the parison is being pressed.

Subsequently, when the press plunger is removed from the parison mold, the clamp ring 42 will at first remain in contact with the neck ring but beyond the position of FIG. 2 will be lifted therefrom to assume the final position shown in FIG. 1 at the beginning of the next parisonforming cycle.

Thus the neck ring 12 is clamped to the parison mold 10 by the stroke of the press plunger 16 which eliminates the need for the separate clamp mechanism 21 used in prior devices. My press plunger is also provided with a cylindrical seal portion 54 above a tapered guide portion 51. The guide ring 14 has a cylindrical seal portion 52 which, together with the portion 54 of the plunger are in closely fitting relationship to substantially air-seal the plunger in the mold when the parts assume the position of FIG. 3 and prevent squeeze-out of molten glass.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a pneumatically operated press plunger, press plunger supporting means, a press plunger supported thereby and adapted to enter through a guide ring and a split neck ring into a parison mold to cooperate therewith in the forming of a parison, the supporting means for saidpress plunger with respect to said press plunger supporting means including connecting means, said press plunger supporting means including cylinder means and piston means therein adapted to be acted upon by air under constant pressure, said connecting means including a sleeve carried by said piston means and having bayonet connection means therein, and said press plunger having cooperating bayonet connections means for coaction with the bayonet connection means on said piston means and having a portion to be engaged against the inner end of said cylinder means when said piston means is subjected to air pressure.

2. A pneumatically operated press plunger in accordance with claim 1 wherein said bayonet connection means on said piston means comprises an annular bayonet groove and said cooperating bayonet connections means on said plunger comprises bayonet lugs.

3. A pneumatically operated press plunger in accordance with claim 1 wherein said press plunger is hollow and a perforated cooling sleeve is provided within said hollow plunger to receive cooling air from said press plunger supporting means and discharge it from the perforations thereof in a pattern distributed over the interior of said plunger, said plunger having exhaust vents for such air adjacent the supported end thereof.

4. A press plunger in accordance with claim 1 including means to clamp the halves of said split neck ring together comprising lower cone surfaces thereon cooperating 'with a cone surface of the parison mold, and upper cone surfaces thereon, a clamp ring surrounding said press plunger and having a cone surface to cooperate with said upper cone surfaces of said split neck ring, said clamp ring being supported by said press plunger supporting means and movable axially of said press pluger, and said piston means normally extending said clamp ring whereby relative movement of said press plunger and said parison mold toward each other first engages said cone surface of said clamp ring with said upper cone surfaces of said split neck ring and then retains it in engagement therewith under pneumatic pressure as said plunger is further entered into said parison mold to a final position therein.

5. A pneumatically operated press plunger in accordance with claim 1 including means to supply air under constant pressure to the cylinder means.

6. A pneumatically operated press plunger in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guide ring and said press plunger have closely fitting surfaces in said final position to air-seal said plunger relative to the interior of said parison mold.

7. A pneumatically operated press plunger in accordance with claim 1 including a second piston in the cylinder means acted upon by air under constant pressure to References Cited engage said plunger and lock it in supported position with UNITED STATES PATENTS respect to said press plunger supporting means.

ance with claim 7 wherein said bayonet connection .18 5 3,434,820 3/1969 Zappia et a1 65 307X between said plunger and said second piston, and said Second piston, p being subjected to air under p e, ARTHUR D. KELLOGG, Primary Examiner engaging the bayonet lugs of said bayonet connection against a surface of said connecting means to frictionally hold said lugs against rotation to a disconnected position. 10 65 -173, 307, 318, 319, 322, 323 

